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Business Wire India
FlipNpik, the world's first-of-its kind blockchain-based collaborative social media platform, which remunerates users for their social media engagements, is pleased to announce a partnership with American-French company, Atayen Inc.
This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180729005043/en/
Specializing in the development of applications such as the iFrame apps, which is an all-in-one Facebook app suite to enhance businesses' engagement of users, Atayen offers unique expertise in social media networks that will no doubt be beneficial to the FlipNpik platform and ecosystem. As part of the partnership, Atayen will register its over half-million merchants across the globe onto the FlipNpik platform. In addition, FlipNpik will embark on extensive marketing collaborations with Atayen to reach out to over one million users of Atayen.
“The strategic alliance with Atayen will not only accelerate FlipNpik’s penetration of the global market and allow our users access to a huge selection of merchants worldwide, it will also significantly increase the intrinsic value of the FlipNpik ecosystem,” says Henri Harland, CEO of FlipNpik.
Currently in the last phase of its democratic and unconventional private sale, FlipNpik is offering special 'whale' bonuses (reaching up to 100% token bonus) to the public with a low minimum buy-in of USD100. The private sale will be opened to the public for only 5 more days and ends on August 3. For more information on FlipNpik, please visit https://flipnpik.io
FlipNpik is the first blockchain-based collaborative social media to allow users to monetize their social media posts by supporting their favourite local shops.Users are rewarded for posting and promoting businesses, and this translates to enhanced marketing and visibility for businesses. The FlipNpik mobile app is available on iOS and Android, and FlipNpik has listed businesses in Switzerland, Great Britain, Ireland, Singapore, Canada and France. https://flipnpik.io
Atayen Inc is an American-French company with a unique expertise in developing applications dedicated for business pages on Facebook and social networks. The most popular Atayen app is the iFrame app which is a web-based social media marketing platform that helps small and medium-sized businesses engage their customers on Facebook. https://www.atayen.us
MULTIMEDIA AVAILABLE :


text: Mahindra officially launched KUV 100 NXT in India yesterday. The company introduced KUV 100 NXT for Kerala market today and during the interaction, Mr. Rajesh Bhaseen, Sr. GM - Sales, Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd. confirmed that the company is working on AMT variant of KUV 100 NXT and it will take around 8 months for the AMT model tor reach market. Mahindra will launch AMT transmission option in both petrol and diesel engines. Mahindra KUV 100 is powered by 1.2 L petrol engine producing 82 BHP of power and 115 NM of torque. 1.2 L diesel engine produces 77 BHP and 190 NM of torque. Both engines are mated to 5 speed manual gearbox. Stay tuned to Flywheel for first drive report of KUV 100 NXT.

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Anyone who jumped on the bitcoin bandwagon at the start of 2020 will likely be rubbing their hands with glee.
Someone who bought £1,000 worth of the cryptocurrency would have seen that turn into £3,292.16 by the last weekend before Christmas, a return of 229 per cent in less than a year, according to personal finance comparison website Finder.
During the same period, if the sum was invested in real, physical gold it would have turned into £1,214, and £865.66 if it had followed the FTSE 100.
Someone who invested £1,000 in bitcoin at the start of the year would have seen a 229% return
It might be incredibly volatile, it might have no real underlying value and it might still be hard to do anything with, but there’s no doubt that bitcoin has had a stellar year.
After a quiet two years since the bubble last burst in 2018, the cryptocurrency has been on a surge in the second half of 2020, having initially seen the price fall to as low as $3,800 a coin in mid-March when investors were dumping assets of all kinds in a mass sell-off in response to the coronavirus.
By late December, it had reached a new all-time high of around $23,500, a more than 500 per cent rise from trough to its new peak.
And equally as eye-catching as the raw numbers has been mainstream finances’ changing view of the cryptocurrency, which has helped push bitcoin to new heights.
Unlike three years ago, when it peaked at just under $20,000 a coin before collapsing, this year’s surge has not been driven by hype-fuelled everyday investors buying up the 21st century equivalent of Dutch tulips.
Instead, ‘it finally got the seal of approval as an investment from many of the biggest investors in the world and the biggest Wall Street banks’, Glen Goodman, an analyst and author of The Crypto Trader, said.
Bitcoin has risen from a low of $3,800 a coin to a new all-time high of more than $23,500 this year, with the price tripling since January
Having until fairly recently turned their noses up at the cryptocurrency, seeing it something akin to a gambling chip, asset managers and banks are now diversifying their holdings, in some cases selling out of gold and buying into bitcoin.
This has largely been due to three connected ‘c’s’, coronavirus, central banks and currencies. ‘Bitcoin’s price has tripled since the start of the year and I have to wonder whether any of that would have happened in the absence of coronavirus’, Goodman said.
‘Before then, the global economy was doing fine, but the virus lockdowns put central banks in panic mode. The US Federal Reserve started printing new money in unprecedented quantities, in the hope of giving their economy a jump-start.
Analysts at major banks like JP Morgan have changed their outlook on bitcoin, and have even argued it could prove an alternative to gold
‘Diluting the dollar put downward pressure on its value, and as the dollar sank, gold and bitcoin rose. A narrative of bitcoin as a better store of value than the dollar became popular with some of the biggest names in finance.’
Tom Stelzer, a crypto specialist at Finder, added: ‘bitcoin has proven to be a valuable hedge, beating out traditional store-of-value assets like gold.’
Certainly, the idea of bitcoin as ‘digital gold’ certainly appears to have caught on. Grayscale, an asset manager focused on digital currencies, saw a record $1billion
poured into it between July and September, 81 per cent of which came from institutional, rather than everyday, investors.
Bitcoin has been here before in 2017, but will this be a new dawn or another bubble about to burst?
Of that $719million was invested into its bitcoin trust, which now has around $10.2billion worth of assets under management and has returned 271 per cent over the last 12 months.
Incredibly, the $2.4billion it has seen invested in the last 12 months across all its funds, which also invest in other cryptocurrencies like ethereum was more than double what it had received in the previous six years.
‘After vastly outperforming traditional markets in 2020, bitcoin has now arguably cemented its place as a worthwhile investment thanks to a number of high-profile funds like Grayscale and MicroStrategy investing billions in the cryptocurrency’, Stelzer added.
In a major coup for bitcoin, PayPal said customers would be able to use its app to make purchases using the cryptocurrency next year
As well as the perception it is now an effective hedge against inflation, the view of bitcoin as an actual currency which could be used to make payments has also been endorsed, thanks to high-profile backing from established payment providers like PayPal and Square.
Goodman previously told This is Money the news that PayPal would let customers buy, hold and sell bitcoin within its app and use it to make payments from next was ‘a really significant vindication from mainstream finance’.
He added the move by PayPal ‘will lead more companies to accept bitcoin as payment.’
And even if they haven’t driven its rise this time, casual investors have also climbed into the cryptocurrency to help push it over the top.
What about the FCA’s bitcoin ban?
From January, UK cryptocurrency investors may find it slightly more difficult to buy into bitcoin.
That’s because financial regulators are banning the sale of cryptocurrency derivatives and other instruments which mimic the performance of cryptocurrencies like bitcoin to retail investors, amid fears they could see investors suffer huge losses.
What this means is that investors will no longer be able to buy into things which track the price of bitcoin, like certain investment funds, and will have to buy into the coins themselves.
Importantly, this means the likes of eToro and Revolut, as well as cryptocurrency exchanges like Coinbase, will still be open to UK everyday investors.
Simon Peters, of eToro, thinks this will have only a minimal impact on UK cryptocurrency traders. He said: ‘Interest is clearly skewed towards holding real crypto, evidenced by the fact that 85 per cent of all crypto positions on eToro in the UK are invested in the underlying asset.’
Both eToro and Revolut, which allow everyday British investors to buy and sell bitcoin, told This is Money they had seen big increases in applications and the number of customers holding bitcoin around the time it hit a new all-time high in December.
But after a stellar run in 2020, what happens next? The short answer is it’s difficult to predict, as we’re in unprecedented territory.
eToro cryptocurrency analyst Simon Peters acknowledged that ‘as we are now at an all-time high, bitcoin is in price discovery mode, which means that we are heading into unknown territory.’
However, he predicted $20,000 a coin would be the new bottom and 2021 would see even further price growth, even if it may be a ‘bumpy ride’.
That is something investors who saw their holdings lose 12.5 per cent of their value overnight in a flash crash a few weeks ago are no doubt already familiar with.
He added: ‘In 2021, a key theme will be the increased crypto investment from pension funds, hedge funds and listed companies. Companies such as MicroStrategy and Square have been adding bitcoin to their balance sheets.
‘If inflation begins to creep up or we continue to see significant monetary stimulus from central banks, then we would expect this trend to accelerate.’
However, not everyone is convinced. Bitcoin still has no real underlying basis for determining how much it is actually worth, its value comes from its finite nature but also from sheer belief in it.
And it is still not the easiest thing to find a day-to-day use for, even if British bitcoin holders will be able to ‘withdraw’ their holdings as cash at 16,000 ATMs under a recent deal struck between East London-based BitcoinPoint and CashZone.
‘The ongoing issues around the cost and speed of bitcoin transactions means it’s still not a great payment option’, Stelzer added, ‘there’s still question marks around what exactly its role will be in future.’
And, of course, some believe that the cryptocurrency’s future can be seen in its past, when it boomed in 2017 and subsequently went bust shortly afterwards.
‘The huge momentum in bitcoin is eerily reminiscent of what we witnessed almost exactly three years ago’, Paul Summers, from the investing website The Motley Fool, recently wrote for Yahoo Finance.
‘Bitcoin bulls would point to the fact that it’s ‘different’ this time. The 2020 rise, coupled with PayPal’s decision to allow those account holders to purchase cryptocurrency, is proof Bitcoin is now mainstream.
‘What’s more, the cryptocurrency could replace gold as the best store of value in troubled times. But will it really?
‘Personally, I can see history repeating itself.’
Some links in this article may be affiliate links. If you click on them we may earn a small commission. That helps us fund This Is Money, and keep it free to use. We do not write articles to promote products. We do not allow any commercial relationship to affect our editorial independence.


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The third-generation Insight is billed as a hybrid "without any inherent compromise."
Honda has previewed the all-new 2019 Insight, reviving the hybrid nameplate for a spacious five-passenger sedan.
Pictures of the third-generation Insight show a prototype, seemingly in production-ready form. The model now appears to be sized similarly to the Clarity and Civic sedans, continuing to grow from the first- and second-generation Insight hatchbacks.
Styling meshes with Honda's latest products, arguably taking the most inspiration from the new Accord.
Despite reviving a name that once identified a two-seater clearly built for hypermiling, Honda apparently wants to separate the new Insight from the idea of a hybrid in terms of aesthetics and performance. It is powered by the company's latest two-motor full hybrid powertrain, designed to smoothly transition between electric internal combustion power.
"You won't have to be an electrification advocate to appreciate the new Insight - it's a great car in its own right, independent of what's happening under the hood," says American Honda sales manager Henio Arcangeli, Jr.
The all-new Insight will make its formal debut in Detroit next month before entering production in Greensburg, Indiana, alongside the Civic and CR-V sometime later in 2018.


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Honda is recalling more than 320 000 vehicles worldwide because of a door lock defect.
It said the faulty locks could allow the vehicles' doors to open unexpectedly, adding that its recall was for the 2012 CR-V sports utility vehicle and 2013 Acura ILX sedan.
The vast majority of the recall is for the CR-V model, sold mainly in Japan, North America, China and South America, although a Honda SA spokesman confirmed that no CRV’s in South Africa were affected .
No accidents or injuries have been reported due to the door lock defect.
Japan's car giants have recalled millions of vehicles in recent years as they have become more proactive about dealing with faults. - AFP


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Ryan Urges Obama to Hold China Accountable on Currency
YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – China’s move Tuesday to devalue its currency, sending it to a four-year low on trading today, drew a sharp response from U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan, D-17, a long-time critic of China’s manipulation of its renminbi.
Ryan said he has “actively joined colleagues from both parties in urging the United States to take immediate action against the Chinese currency manipulators. I have led the battle to make the Department of Commerce impose countervailing duties to offset the impact of currency manipulation on U.S. industry. I have proposed that unfair currency manipulation be considered a cause of action in the World Trade Organization.”
China devalued its currency by 2% and said it would let market forces determine if it should be devalued further.
Ryan has spoken out for years about how China’s manipulation amounts to unfair trade practices.
In a prepared statement issued by his office, Ryan said China’s most recent action “makes it even more difficult for American manufacturing and will cost American workers good paying jobs. China has a long history of unfairly undermining American manufacturing, and this action will help them dump their products in the world market.”
The congressman called on President Obama to “hold China accountable. I strongly urge that when he meets next month with Chinese President Xi Jinping that the issue of currency manipulation be at the top of his list of issues for discussion. We must send a strong message to China that they cannot manipulate their currencies at the expense of the American economy.”
Copyright 2023 The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.


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LEGO Minifigures Online: Now available in Open Beta
Funcom and The LEGO Group are very excited to have kicked off the Open Beta for LEGO® Minifigures Online, and LEGO fans from all over the world have now begun assembling their Minifigure teams and sent them out on grand, online adventures! LEGO Minifigures Online is set to launch later this fall, and throughout the coming months of Open Beta and beyond players will see the game grow and expand as new content and gameplay is introduced.
The game is currently available for play on the Windows PC, and the developers are hard at work preparing tablet versions of the game which will be available later this year.
“This is the first step on a new and exciting journey,” says Funcom CEO Ole Schreiner. “We are going to use these months of Open Beta to push the game in the right direction by adding, tweaking, polishing, changing and doing everything it takes to make sure the game is constantly evolving and improving. Players can expect to see both smaller and bigger changes over the course of Open Beta, and we look forward to surprising players with great new content and gameplay.”
Currently players can explore exciting locations in Pirate World, Medieval World and Space World, but the developers are hard at work finishing up more great content. More worlds will be added, and coming up next in Open Beta is the legendary Mythology World, where adventurers get to visit the Underworld and even battle Hades himself! Players can also look forward to new gameplay mechanics, such as a new and super fun way to collect minifigures.
For more info, visit www.playminifigures.com
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Hyderabad: The Electronics and Computer Software Export Promotion Council (ESC) is in the process of finalising plans to conduct separate trade delegations of small and medium-sized IT enterprises to France and Spain.
This is part of the ESC migration strategy for emerging markets that would help diversify India’s overall IT export basket.
“These delegations would be taken around and introduced to companies in France and Spain respectively, to work with them. Alongside, we also see these two countries can open up access to about 20 countries each, with French and Spanish interface,” D.K. Sareen, Executive Director of ESC, said.
The Council is in the process of helping SME network with representatives of emerging markets who are keen to work with Indian companies.
The demand is quite huge and has the potential to insulate against the fluctuation in the US market, which now contributes to about 61 per cent of total IT exports, he said. The nature of business and demand varies from one region to another.
Companies in Latin America and Africa are keen to partner with Indian companies in areas such as enterprise resource planning, system integration, telecom and eGovernance applications.
“In the case of France and Germany, they have huge business opportunity but are woefully short of people. And in countries such as Australia ad Brazil, they have huge business opportunity but do not have people with necessary skill sets. If we address these markets, and build up relationships, we can expect the export mix to go up to 50:50 for US and non-US business,” Sanjiv Narayan, Chairman of ESC, said.
The interaction with delegates from over 40 countries shows that some of the countries have successfully begun to address markets such as Latin America and companies such as Mann India now generate all their exports from there, Sareen said.
Domestic companies have developed several products and applications for eGovernance, and they could help some of the countries in Africa and Latin America deploy them. These are in the areas of smart cards, common electronic identity cards and citizen databases, they explained.
The focus of emerging markets is not only to tap into new regions but also to partly help insulate against huge dependence on the US market. The impact of the slowdown and fluctuating dollar has meant lower export numbers this year, Narayan said.


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Sari Hakili, sales manager, pharmaceutical solutions at Stora Enso Carton Board, explained that the cost of non-compliance makes intelligent packaging economically viable.
Intelligent packaging can reduce the workload on nurses and automate some processes, including data entry, leading to cost-savings, according to Hakli. Furthermore, as with all electronics, the cost will come down as the packaging is produced in larger volumes.
Hakli added that the packaging can be customised. These modifications can remind patients they have forgotten to take a tablet or alert them if they take their midday medication in the evening.


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Ever since this category was first introduced to the Buy-Side Technology Awards line-up five years ago, Copenhagen-based SimCorp has been the sole winner. Needless to say, to remain at the top of any category in these awards for so long requires a keen awareness of changing technology and regulatory conditions.
According to Mark Baker, SimCorp’s IBOR product portfolio manager, the concept of an IBOR is fundamental to how the firm’s Dimension platform has been built. “Our IBOR covers multiple asset classes, ranging from simple products such as equities to more complex products like variance swaps,” says Baker. “We have also recently expanded that to include alternative investments as well. So within that single system and book of record, we aim to support core position-keeping, which then underpins front-office systems, which we also have available within Dimension, and the middle-office system in risk and analytics. This is quite different to a number of our competitors,” he says.
In terms of innovation, SimCorp is looking at the elasticity of use of its services layer, aimed at ensuring that its customers are able to run at an optimal cost within a cloud environment by scaling up and down services on demand. The vendor is also in the early stages of looking at how it can incorporate artificial intelligence into its offerings. “We aim to apply machine learning initially to operational user workflows, whereby we can predict, say, the likelihood of a trade being appropriately confirmed and affirmed,” Baker explains. “Then we’ll look to implement an application programming interface (API) strategy to either place trades into queues so that they can be reviewed by operational users, or alternatively just automatically push them through. That’s putting some business intelligence on top of the analytics, and we’re in the early stages of discussions with two to three clients in that area.”
In terms of recently introduced regulations like the General Data Protection Regulation and the revised Markets in Financial Instruments Directive (Mifid II), SimCorp has developed specific programs to support its client who fall under their purview. “Obviously the Securities Financing Transaction Regulation is coming up, and so we have an internal program that will facilitate our customers’ reporting requirements on securities and financial transactions,” he says. “In terms of our delivery, we are looking at a new cloud-based mechanism where we will use an API strategy within the IBOR part of the system to remove the transactions and deliver them to the transactions repository. This is part of our cloud-enablement strategy, and this is just one strand of that.”
The founder and CEO of Imperative Execution looks at how trade execution is changing and what that means for the buy side.Subscribe to Weekly Wrap emails


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Lampert, now Kmart's chairman, will become chairman of Sears Holdings. Sears Chief Executive Alan J. Lacy will become vice-chairman and CEO of the new company, and Kmart CEO Aylwin B. Lewis -- named to the post just last month -- will become president of Sears Holdings and CEO of Sears retail. Combined sales would total $55 billion and rank Sears Holdings as the nation's third-largest retailer behind Wal-Mart Stores (WMT ) and Home Depot (HD ), displacing current No. 3 Target Corp. (TGT ). "We think there is opportunity for a broader customer base and much expanded sales," Lampert says.
Both Kmart, with 1,500 discount stores, and Sears, with 870 mall-based stores, have seen declining sales as shoppers


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CCCME President Zhang Yujing Meets with Egyptian Ambassador to China Mohamed Elbadri
On December 14, 2020, CCCME President Zhang Yujing visited Ambassador of the Arab Republic of Egypt to China Mohamed Elbadri upon the latter’s invitation. They sides engaged in-depth exchanges and reached a number of consensus on strengthening China-Egypt cooperation in professional fields, strengthening institutional cooperation and co-organizing activities. Counselor of the Egyptian Embassy Ahmed Tayia, CCCME Vice President Liu Chun attended the meeting.
Ambassador Mohamed Elbadri stated that Egypt cherishes the comprehensive strategic partnership with China. The Egyptian government fully supports Chinese companies in their legitimate business operations in Egypt and has long been committed to promoting cooperation between Egyptian-Chinese companies. The Egyptian Embassy in China is willing to play an active guiding role in promoting the cooperation and win-win between CCCME members and Egyptian enterprises. Ambassador also put forward specific cooperation needs and project information on behalf of relevant Egyptian enterprises and institutions, hoping that CCCME will introduce high-quality member resources to them.
CCCME President Zhang Yujing said that Egypt Embassy in China maintains close cooperation with CCCME for a long time, and has done substantial work in conveying project information and business demands. CCCME is willing to promote long-term economic and trade development and business exchanges between the two countries, and will carefully study the cooperation proposals put forward by Ambassador and actively organize industrial enterprises to cooperate with each other.


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Your Supply Chain Software news feed!
Want your Magaya system to send Transaction Tracking email messages only when an Event occurs? A new Configuration option gives you the choice to define when Transaction Tracking email messages are sent.
Magaya Corporation will be participating in the 2015 Air Sea Cargo Americas Tradeshow in Miami November 4 - 6. We'll be presenting demos of some products, connecting with customers and making new connections. Visit us to enter the raffle too!
One of our customers, CSF Couriers, created their own video tutorial to tell their customers how they can get the most up-to-date information about their packages. They shared it with us, and we’re presenting it as a special article for you.
Keep yourself, your employees and Magaya users informed of the latest news and updates.


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Welcome to First Things First, Adweek’s daily resource for marketers. We’ll be publishing the content to First Things First on Adweek.com each morning (like this post), but if you prefer that it come straight to your inbox, you can sign up for the email here.
Netflix’s Tiger King Is the COVID-19 Lockdown’s First Smash Hit
To no one’s surprise, streaming services are scoring bonkers viewership numbers as people of all ages have flocked to TV to pass the time. Disney, which is facing unprecedented shutdowns of its parks, announced that it now has an astounding 50 million subscribers for its Disney+ streaming platform. To put that into perspective, Disney was hoping to land 60-90 million subscribers in the first five years. Disney has nearly hit that low end estimate in under five months.
Netflix has its own hit. Tiger King: Murder, Madness and Mayhem, the true-crime documentary series that landed in late March, has been viewed by 34.3 million Americans in its first 10 days on the service, according to figures from Nielsen’s SVOD Content Ratings. The numbers are just shy of the record set by Stranger Things’ third season, but still mark a milestone during the pandemic, which has boosted viewership across all streaming platforms.
More in TV and streaming news:
- Millions of people said farewell to Modern Family last night as the ABC sitcom signs off after 11 years. Toyota, which has partnered with Modern Family throughout its 11-season run, created an animated goodbye spot that aired twice during the Modern Family one-hour retrospective that aired before the finale.
- Data shows that black and Latino communities have been the hardest hit by COVID-19 deaths in many U.S. cities, so BET is working with the NAACP and United Way to educate and raise money for black communities in crisis with a televised fundraising event.
- Amazon Studios has scooped up the rights to stream the movie My Spy, making the David Bautista action comedy the first film intended for a 2020 theatrical release that will instead debut on a subscription streaming service.
- Several of spring’s most anticipated series have been postponed due to COVID-19 shutdowns, but CBS All Access will still air the first five or six episodes of Season 4 of The Good Fight consecutively, starting Thursday, and then return for its second half after production resumes. Co-creators and showrunners Robert and Michelle King spoke with Adweek about the new season.
Cooking Websites See a Traffic Boost as People Are Urged to Stay Home
Many people are finding themselves needing to cook their own dinners—maybe for the first time in a while, or the first time ever—so they’re visiting food and cooking websites and engaging with related brands at a higher rate. As a result, publishers are also seeing ad buys shift toward food websites. We talked with New York Times food columnist Alison Roman and others from the sector about the trend.
Have you been following #AdweekTogether? On our daily live show that’s broadcast on LinkedIn, Facebook, YouTube and our website, we talk about the challenges the advertising and marketing world are facing today—and how we can overcome them, together. Watch the latest episode here.
McDonald’s Same-Store March Sales Are Holding Up, Showing the Resilience of the Fast Food Sector
McDonald’s reported that U.S. comparable sales in March declined 13.4%, compared to a much larger drop for full-service restaurants. Quick service restaurants, whose businesses rely heavily on take-out, delivery and drive-thru, appear to be faring better than their casual dining counterparts that depend on sit-in dining.
3 Lessons Learned from Marketing Through Coronavirus So Far
In this Voice piece, OMD North America’s chief strategy officer advises marketers to channel Maya Angelou’s advice: “At the end of the day, people won’t remember what you said or did. They will remember how you made them feel.” That means cultivating the right tone and doing what you can to encourage and support consumers.
Best of the Rest: Today’s Top News and Highlights
- People Are Swooping Up Purell as Soon as the Hand Sanitizer Hits the Shelves
- AMP Agency Goes Through Round of Layoffs as Part of Restructuring, Citing Impact of Coronavirus
- Journalists Give 0% Loans to Laid-Off, Furloughed Industry Colleagues
- Spotify Expands Self-Serve Ad Studio to 18 Markets Around the World
- Dow Jones CEO William Lewis Is Leaving the Company
#ThanksForDelivering Is UPS’ Ode to Everyone Bringing Relief and Joy
UPS took a moment to thank customers—who, in turn, continue to thank them and other package delivery companies for their vital service. #ThanksForDelivering, in cooperation with The Martin Agency, is equal parts broadcast spot and social movement.
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- This Campaign Maps the Rising Number of Anti-Asian Hate Incidents
- Opinion | 4 Things I Learned From Medical Quarantine to Offer Hope to Those Struggling


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Toyota Motors is having a very good time of it in India as far as the popular luxury SUV is concerned. The slowness in the sales of the cars in the auto industry for the past 10 months has not been a factor as far as sales of the luxury SUV Toyota Fortuner is concerned. Toyota Kirloskar Motors, the Indian subsidiary of the popular Japanese auto manufacturer Toyota Motors, has enjoyed a sales boost of twelve percent for the period April to November 2013 when compared to the sales that it achieved during the same period in 2012. The sales of the luxury SUVs in India have taken a beating after the announcement of the increase in the taxes for the big vehicles. A lot of car manufacturers were not able to sell the estimated number of luxury and premium SUVs in the market after the Union Budget. But, Toyota Fortuner did not see any slackness in its sale and moved ahead in such a way that a total of 11,416 Fortuner’s very sold during the April to November 2013 period.
The Toyota Fortuner has been an in demand vehicle since the car was launched in India and it looks like there has been no downfall in the demand of the car. The premium SUV has been on sale in India since August 2009 and has been doing very good business till date. Fortuner has been facing stiff challenge from Chevrolet Captiva, Mahindra Rexton, Hyundai Santa Fe, Honda CR-V and Ford Endeavor.


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Be sure you have a drink before going to any cocktail party!!
A drink of water first that is…LOL
Fruity reds are the kings of the Chinese wine market, but experts at Asia’s biggest wine fair say women are leading a trend toward whites that will open new revenue streams for producers worldwide.
See on www.timeslive.co.za


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Lonely Planet announced on Wednesday that it is offering up several of its iPhone, iPad and iPod touch city guides for free during the massive snow storm that’s covering a substantial portion of the U.S. The company is offering the guides for free so stranded travelers will have an easy way to find local activities, restaurants and hotels while they wait for flights back home.
Lonely Planet’s New York City guide
Lonely Planet is offering its 14 U.S. and Canada guides for free through 6PM pacific time on Friday, February 4. The guide list includes:
- San Francisco
- New York City
- Washington DC
- New Orleans
- Las Vegas
- Los Angeles
- Fort Myers and Sanibel
The company previously offered its European city guide apps for free during the Iceland volcano eruption and the holiday snow storms that hit most of the continent.
The Lonely Planet guides are regularly priced at US$5.99 each and are available for download at Apple’s iTunes-based App Store.


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This round of funding was oversubscribed by more than 500%, causing BlueCava to close the round early, leaving some eager investors waiting to participate in a future round of funding. In an unusual move, Mark Cuban, a prolific investor, will take an active roll in BlueCava, by joining the board of directors.
“BlueCava has created some very innovative technology and has a disruptive business model that will re-define the role that devices play in targeted online marketing and in fighting online fraud”, said Mark Cuban. “BlueCava has a huge market opportunity and I am excited to be joining the board.”
“We are very excited to add two all-star business people and visionaries to our team,” said David Norris, CEO of BlueCava. “It is a strong validation of our business and will help to accelerate BlueCava’s growth and extend our market leadership position. It’s clear they really understand BlueCava’s market opportunity and our disruptive business model.”
BlueCava’s Device Identification and Reputation Services is a technology platform that offers companies a highly-practical and economically-viable method for device identification and reputation processing. The technology works with any computing device (PCs, smartphones, video game consoles and set-top boxes), anywhere in the world, so that businesses can detect, identify and track devices within their own environments.
As part of BlueCava’s disruptive business model, it has reinvented the pricing structure for these types of services, which allows them to be used more broadly and more frequently. BlueCava charges $.0001 (1/100th of a cent) per device identification transaction, and $.001 (1/10th of a cent) per device reputation transaction. This represents nearly a 500x cost reduction compared to historical industry averages.
Mark Cuban is chairman of HDTV cable network HDNet, owner of the National Basketball Association’s Dallas Mavericks, owner of Landmark Theatres, and author of Blog Maverick, a popular business blog for entrepreneurs.
Timothy Headington is founder and owner of privately-held oil and gas firm Headington Oil Co. LLC, a hotelier and film producer.
With the investment, Mr. Cuban will join BlueCava’s Board of Directors.
BlueCava is the credit bureau for devices, providing information about good, bad, and historical activities conducted from desktop and mobile devices. Our reputation data fights fraud and improves online communications. Using a low priced, disruptive business model, BlueCava allows all customers the chance to identify any online device, retrieve valuable history about it and use our technology for every transaction.
Our innovative Device Reputation Exchange lets businesses share information about fraudulent, good, and useful transactions from recognized computers, enabling decisions regarding doing business, or not, with any specific computer.
For more information, visit us online at www.bluecava.com or follow us on Twitter at twitter.com/bluecava.


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Japanese carmaker Toyota is known for its reliable and safe cars through out the world. The automaker`s India plans have been disrupted due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. This has had an adverse impact on the sales numbers of cars in India. Toyota is planning to launch a few new models in the country which will help in improving its market share. DriveStreak has compiled a list of upcoming Toyota cars in India which will be launched in the coming months.
Upcoming Toyota Cars in India 2020-2021
|Toyota Urban Cruiser||Rs. 8 Lakh|
|Toyota Fortuner 2021||Rs. 30 Lakh|
|Toyota Corolla 2020||Rs. 15 Lakh|
|Toyota C-HR||Rs. 17 Lakh.|
Toyota Urban Cruiser
|Expected Launch Date||September 2020|
|Engine||1.5 L Petrol|
The Toyota Urban Cruiser will be based on the Vitara Brezza and will be the first forthcoming Toyota car to launch in 2020. Just like the Glanza which is a rebadged version of the Baleno, the Urban Cruiser is essentially a rebadged Brezza with changes on the exterior and interior. With the craze for sub 4-metre SUVs at an all time high, Toyota is doing the right thing by planning to bring this SUV to the domestic market. The Urban Cruiser will be powered by a 1.5 litre petrol unit which is found on the Vitara Brezza. The engine will also get a mild-hybrid option mated to a manual as well as an automatic transmission. The Urban Cruiser is expected to launch in September 2020.
Toyota Fortuner 2021
|Expected Launch Date||October 2020|
|Engine||2.8 L Diesel, 2.7 L Petrol|
The Fortuner needs no introduction! The Toyota Fortuner has built a name and reputation for itself as a go-anywhere SUV with its robust build and powerful engines. The new Fortuner has been unveiled in Thailand and this gives us information on what we can expect on the Indian model. For starters, the new Fortuner will be powered by a 2.8 L diesel engine producing 204 PS of power and 500 Nm of twisting force. The petrol unit on the other hand is a 2.7 L motor developing 166 PS and 245 Nm of peak torque. Transmission options on both the engines include a 6-speed manual and a 6-speed automatic. The updated Fortuner will get additional features in the form of a 9-inch touchscreen infotainment system with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay for smart phone connectivity and much more.
Toyota Corolla 2020
|Expected Launch Date||March 2021|
|Engine||1.8 L Petrol|
The 2020 Toyota Corolla which is now in its twelfth generation is expected to launch in March 2021. As per news reports the India bound Corolla will get a few cosmetic changes in the form of an updated front grille and redesigned fog lamps. It will be powered by a 1.8 L petrol motor that generates 139 PS of max power coupled to a 6-speed MT or CVT automatic. Good news is that the upcoming Toyota sedan will be available as a hatchback model also.
|Expected Launch Date||June 2021|
|Engine||1.8 L Petrol|
|Gearbox||Manual, CVT Automatic|
The luxury SUV segment in India is seeing a lot of action and Toyota wants to be a part of this growing segment. The Toyota CH-R is expected to launch in India in June 2021. The CH-R will come with petrol and petrol-hybrid power-train options. Gearbox options will include a 6-speed manual and a CVT automatic transmission. The SUV will be loaded with features like LED projector headlamps, LED fog lamps, dual-zone climate control, 8.0 inch touchscreen infotainment system and much more.
Which of these upcoming Toyota cars are you waiting for? Use the comments section below to share your thoughts.
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Capital Markets Update
Who is lending today and on what terms? What creative capital sources are available today? This panel will examine what borrowers are looking for, the most popular capital structures, and the short- and long-term outlook for the capital markets.Moderator
Robert Fahey, Executive Vice President, CBRE
Ed Brown, Senior Vice President - Managing Director, NorthMarq Capital
David Dolan, Senior Managing Director, Newmark Grubb Knight Frank
Timothy Proctor, Senior Vice President, TD Bank
Brian Sykes, Senior Vice President, Originations, Beech Street Capital
Chris Terlizzi, SVP and Regional Manager, First Niagara Bank
The 1950s saw the birth of the shopping mall across the nation, yet the era of destination retail stores, especially clothing stores, has been on a…
This past weekend I visited Minneapolis and experienced the stark differences between a withering downtown retail center and a boomtown retail experience.…
DALLAS—A FelCor spokeswoman says the REIT is reviewing Ashford Hospitality Trust’s proposal. Separately, AHT has also named a new CEO.
OAKVILLE, ONT.—The owner of Burger King and Tim Hortons is adding a quick service chicken concept to its portfolio of more than 20,000 locations globally.


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Socios.com, a blockchain startup getting to tokenize the sports industry, has secured a leading regulatory license permitting it to issue its own payments & loyalty card.
Issued by the Estonian Financial Intelligence Unit, or FIU, the new license has been permitted to the new Estonia-based entity called Socios Entertainment OU. Announcing the news on 30th July, Socios’ partner project Chiliz.net revealed that the FIU is the responsible authority for licensing cryptocurrency – related firms within the country.
Fiat Cryptocurrency Card Is “Due Within The Very Near Future”
The new license permits Socios to offer virtual currency and fiat exchange services & cryptocurrency wallet custody. Valid for a unlimited period of time starting from 29th July, the license unlocks some important long-term development opportunities for Socios and Chiliz.
In line with a recent announcement, the license will be crucial for the socios.com payments and loyalty card. Powered by a “world-leading payment provider,” the upcoming card is “due within the very near future,” Chiliz added. Socios initially released details about its prepaid fiat-crypto card in Feb 2020.
Alongside significantly extending Socios’ services, the new license powers further strategic growth, permitted a new tech hotspot in Europe. As such, Socios has just appointed former head of payments at gaming firm The Coingaming Group, Jan Stupka, as its new Estonia-based director. Stupka previously worked at senior positions with Czech bank CSOB Group & leading sports betting companies GVC and Tipsport.
Chiliz and Socios have recently emerged as leading global platforms for fan tokens’ design & trading. Earlier in June this year, Spanish soccer giant FC Barcelona revealed its first FC Barcelona Fan Tokens through Chiliz and Socios, selling $1.3 Mln of tokens in less than 2 hours.


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Scots hail the fried chocolate sandwich
FROM the country that invented the deep-fried Mars bar comes another culinary triumph: the deep-fried chocolate sandwich.
At 1,000 calories apiece, Scotland’s latest delicacy promises to be one of the world’s fattiest snacks.
The sandwich first appeared on the menu at an Edinburgh hotel, selling for £4.95, but is now available throughout the country for diners with a sweet tooth and a cast-iron stomach.
Debbie Walter, food and beverage manager of the Ramada Jarvis Hotel, where the sandwiches were introduced, said that they had proved popular with Scots, who favoured fattening desserts over fresh fruit and low-fat options.
“The sandwiches are delicious. Also, if we sold only fresh-fruit salads we wouldn’t have any customers,” she said. “The healthiest food on our menu is a winter


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does vanguard offer bitcoin
Vanguard customers can purchase any over-the-counter bitcoin or crypto funds,such as theBitwise 10 Crypto Index Fund(BITW) or Grayscale Bitcoin Trust (GBTC),to name a few. Customers can also buy shares in publicly traded bitcoin mining companies like Riot Blockchain and Argo Blockchain.
Does Vanguard sell bitcoin?
Yes, you can buy Bitcoin with a Vanguard brokerage account, but not directly. Right now, there is only one way you can get access to Bitcoin and in this article, I will help you decide whether it’s for you or not. But first, let’s get something out of the way that is on many investors’ minds…
Does Vanguard trade Bitcoin?
Vanguard does not offer Bitcoin, Ripple, Dogecoin, Ethereum, or any other crypto currency. However, they can open an account with Webull, one of the most popular brokers that offers many crypto currencies. Read our review of crypto trading at Webull. 1. does vanguard have a currency fund? 2. can you trade bitcoin on vanguard?
Does Vanguard have crypto fund?
Vanguard customers can purchase any over-the-counter bitcoin or crypto funds, such as the Bitwise 10 Crypto Index Fund (BITW) or Grayscale Bitcoin Trust (GBTC), to name a few. Customers can also buy shares in publicly traded bitcoin mining companies like Riot Blockchain and Argo Blockchain.
Does Vanguard have any cryptocurrency ETFs?
There aren’t any Vanguard ETFs specifically tailored to cryptocurrency. However, that doesn’t mean that crypto doesn’t impact existing Vanguard ETFs. The Grayscale Bitcoin Investment Trust (BTC) is currently listed on the OTC Pink Sheets market.
Is bitcoin speculative in 2021?
In March 2021, Vanguard chief economist for the Americas Roger Aliaga-Díaz highlighted that cryptocurrencies like bitcoin are still speculative assets. “Cryptocurrency prices depend mostly on speculation about their adoption and use,” Mr. Aliaga-Díaz said. “And that speculation creates volatility that, ironically, undermines their potential use as either a currency or asset class in an investment strategy.”
Does Vanguard invest in crypto?
While Vanguard does speak highly of blockchain technology , it believes cryptocurrencies in their current form present nothing more than a wildly speculative asset class. For that reason, Vanguard has made the decision as a company to prohibit its customers from investing their funds in cryptocurrencies.
Does Vanguard use blockchain?
While multiple Vanguard executives have made it clear they want nothing to do with cryptocurrencies, the financial institution uses blockchain technology for its own purposes. In 2017, the company put $1.15 trillion of its assets into an index tracking system backed by blockchain technology. The hope was that this technology would eliminate manual processes of updating index funds and instead have the blockchain update data in real-time and it certainly paid off.
Does Vanguard buy bitcoin?
However, until now, it has had a contentious relationship with cryptocurrencies. Currently, Vanguard does not offer its customers any way to purchase bitcoin or other cryptocurrencies directly (and has no apparent plans to do so).
Should you Buy Bitcoin on Vanguard through the Grayscale Trust?
If you can afford the buy-in of the Grayscale Bitcoin trust and are not discouraged by the management fee, then there is only one thing that is left for you to consider.
What is a grayscale trust?
Simply put, the Grayscale Trust is an investment product deriving all of its value from Bitcoin itself. It can be traded like an ETF and you can buy as many shares as you want.
How much does Grayscale charge for management?
Right now, the annual management fee the Grayscale trust charges is 2% , which may seem high for those used to buying index funds. Another drawback is that you can’t buy it unless you have at least $50,000 to spare; the required minimum for accredited investors.
What does affiliate link mean?
P.S.: The links below are affiliate links, which means I receive a small commission at no extra cost to you when you sign up for one of the services. Thank you for your support!
Can I buy Bitcoin with Vanguard?
Yes, you can buy Bitcoin with a Vanguard brokerage account, but not directly. Right now, there is only one way you can get access to Bitcoin and in this article, I will help you decide whether it’s for you or not. But first, let’s get something out of the way that is on many investors’ minds…. Contents hide.
Is it safe to invest in Bitcoin through trust?
A great advantage of investing through the trust is that you don’t have to worry about buying, storing, and mining Bitcoin yourself which is extremely challenging when it comes to safety. Just think about all those past data breaches and millions of dollars lost over the years and you will come to see it for yourself.
Can you trade Bitcoin on an exchange?
To do this, you first need to pick an Exchange that Bitcoin can be traded through. An exchange account will allow you to trade Bitcoin just like a brokerage account allows you to trade stocks .
How to gain exposure to crypto?
One way to gain exposure to the world of crypto is to seek out ETFs and Mutual Funds at Vanguard that include companies that are somehow involved with cryptocurrencies. There are many, but some homework is required.
What is a cryptocurrency built on?
Each cryptocurrency is built on its own blockchain network and they are all created with a different use case in mind. Some are meant to be scarce, replicating gold and other precious metals, while others are plentiful and meant to facilitate microtransactions and low-cost money movement. Depending on the goal of the blockchain powering each of the available coins, the behavior and acceptance of the tokens can change to reflect that goal.
Why are there blockchain ETFs?
These are funds of blockchain stocks. By investing in a basket of stocks, you can reduce the amount of volatility that one stock comes with .
How to find the best ETF?
To find the best ETF, simply take a look at the company list that makes up the Fund. ETFs that have a higher percentage and weighting of companies involved with cryptocurrencies are going to move a bit more like the cryptocurrency markets than Funds concentrated on other sectors.
What companies are involved in Bitcoin?
Some well-known companies that are actively involved with cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin include PayPal, Tesla, Visa, Galaxy Digital Holdings, Square, Riot, and Coinbase Global.
Why is Bitcoin called blockchain?
Called the blockchain, several tech companies are interested in it. Why? Because they see the ability to circumvent cyber crime.
What is a riot ticker?
Riot (RIOT) is a popular choice as it is a blockchain mining ticker that moves in correlation with the largest cryptocurrencies.
What is IRA insights?
The website has a section titled "Insights" that is the portal to investor education in the areas of retirement, saving and investing, markets and economy, and taxes. All are useful to an IRA investor, especially one who may be interested in doing more active monitoring or trading of his/her portfolio.
Why are IRAs more complicated than taxable accounts?
IRAs are more complicated than taxable investment accounts due to the tax reporting differences and the complexity of hiring custodians to insure fiduciary responsibility.
Does Vanguard have a retirement calculator?
Retirement planning calculators and guides are almost a requirement for any IRA provider due to the rapidly increasing number of Baby Boomers reaching retirement age. Vanguard has a comprehensive retirement section on their website. Unfortunately, the site does not have a high degree of intuitiveness built in and is not presented in a clean, easy to read format.
Is it time to invest in this high-risk, high-reward ETF?
Bitcoin ( BTC -2.92% ) is one of the hottest investments of the year so far. Over the last three months alone, its price has soared by more than 180%, shattering records along the way.
What are the stocks in the ETF?
This particular ETF contains 345 stocks, including Apple, Microsoft, NVIDIA, and PayPal. Investing in hundreds of companies simultaneously limits your risk, because if a few companies in the fund don’t perform well, it won’t sink your entire portfolio.
Is Bitcoin an ETF?
This investment can be considered the Bitcoin of the ETF world because it’s one of the higher-risk ETFs, but it’s also seen substantial gains over the past year.
Who is Teresa Kersten?
Teresa Kersten, an employee of LinkedIn, a Microsoft subsidiary , is a member of The Motley Fool’s board of directors. Katie Brockman has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool owns shares of and recommends Amazon, Apple, Microsoft, NVIDIA, PayPal Holdings, and Tesla.
Is Bitcoin a good investment?
Many investors are on the fence about Bitcoin, however, and it does carry a substantial amount of risk. Because it’s so volatile, it’s not the right investment for everyone.
How many ETFs does Vanguard have in 2021?
A trailblazer in the world of index funds, Vanguard doesn’t have a shortage of ETFs either. As of 2021, the company has 50 ETFs in its collection ranging from large-cap blends to emerging markets. Do any of the ETFs cover cryptocurrency?
Why do people like cryptocurrency?
People love cryptocurrency for its novelty and its decentralization from banks and governments . However, many people also love the risk and reward associated with a crypto investment.
Does Grayscale have an ETF?
Grayscale’s crypto ETF might influence fund providers like Vanguard to develop their own cryptocurrency ETF in the future.
Is Grayscale Bitcoin on Pink Sheets?
The Grayscale Bitcoin Investment Trust (BTC) is currently listed on the OTC Pink Sheets market. Because of this, Vanguard only offers access to the fund’s prospectus. With the recent Coinbase IPO, Bitcoin surged in value and reached a record high of $64,829 in anticipation.
Does Vanguard ETFs work with crypto?
The short answer is no. There aren’ t any Vanguard ETFs specifically tailored to cryptocurrency. However, that doesn’t mean that crypto doesn’t impact existing Vanguard ETFs.
Does Vanguard use Symbiont?
Vanguard uses Symbiont’s blockchain technology for foreign exchanges, so it’s definitely involved in the crypto atmosphere.
Who is the chairman of the SEC?
The new SEC chairman, Gary Gensler, might adjust regulations related to cryptocurrency ETFs. However, Gensler’s interest in Bitcoin shows that any regulations to come might be for the better. An increased trading volume could propel some of these crypto-oriented ETFs to new heights. Advertisement.
What does Buckley compare to gold?
Buckley compared the lack of fundamental economic value in bitcoin to a lack of fundamental value in gold, an asset class which Vanguard also avoids. Buckley, who succeeded former chief Bill McNabb at the start of the year, oversees roughly $4.5 trillion in assets under management.
Where is Vanguard based?
Vanguard, based in Malvern, Pennsylvania, prides itself as one of Wall Street’s most low-cost and conservative managers.
Who is the CEO of Vanguard?
Vanguard CEO Tim Buckley may think highly of blockchain technology, but he isn’t planning on investing in bitcoin anytime soon. Buckley, who succeeded the firm’s former chief, Bill McNabb, at the start of the year, oversees roughly $4.5 trillion in assets under management.
Does bitcoin generate cash?
They don’t generate earnings or cash flows.”. Digital currency bitcoin has risen and fallen dramatically over the past several months in what many investors consider a bubble-like move. Generated through a digital process called “mining,” bitcoin derives much of its value from its scarcity.
What is a cryptocurrency?
A cryptocurrency is a digital or virtual means of exchange. There are more than 6,700 cryptocurrencies today; among the better known are Bitcoin, Dogecoin, Ethereum, XRP, Tether, and Litecoin.
No substitute for stock and bonds
Some wonder whether cryptocurrencies can be used in strategic portfolios as substitutes for stocks and bonds. “But unlike traditional asset classes, cryptocurrencies lack intrinsic economic value and generate no cash flows, such as interest payments or dividends, which can explain their prices,” Mr. Aliaga-Díaz said.
Other risks to keep in mind
Despite all the recent attention devoted to cryptocurrencies, Mr. Aliaga-Diaz cautioned that there are a number of additional risks associated with digital currencies, including:


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Recode: Microsoft’s excel is a perfect fit for the mobile web, according to Microsoft’s VP of Developer Experience and Community Engineering, James Dolan.
In a blog post for Recode titled “How Microsoft’s vba excel could be the killer for mobile web,” Dolan said he’s excited by the idea and it’s possible to get there within a few years.
“We’ve been working on the technology for years, and we’re excited about the potential of this technology to help make our desktop applications easier to use for people who are coming from desktop environments that don’t support vba,” he wrote.
“We also think this could be one of the ways we bring together the mobile experience with the desktop experience, which will be a win-win for users and businesses alike.”
The idea of vba, or vb, is to allow you to save and export your code and files in a vba file format.
Microsoft has been working with a small team to create vba formats that are portable across all of its platforms and is currently working with the Open Source Group to make vba as open as possible.
That means that Microsoft is able to publish vba files to the internet for anyone to use.
Microsoft recently announced that it will soon offer the vba format to users, and will also begin selling vb files for non-commercial use in its Edge browser.
“For vba to really become a viable way to run code on mobile devices, we have to make sure we are making the right choice,” Dano said.
“Vba is a very mature technology, and it has the potential to be one solution for a lot of these issues, so we are going to have to think carefully about what the best use case is for the format.”
Microsoft is already using vba for its desktop applications, but it’s also open sourcing the technology so that anyone can use it on their mobile devices.
Microsoft is also using vb for Windows Store apps and Office 365, and recently launched its own vb plugin for developers.
Dolan said that Microsoft could also create vb file formats that work for Chrome on the desktop and for Chrome for Android on mobile, but he was unsure if those formats would be usable on mobile.
“If we were going to use a vb format for the desktop or Chrome, we could probably do that with the help of Google and others,” Dola said.
“But the other things that we’re doing are not for the purpose of using vmbase for the Android platform.
It’s not even for Chrome at this point, but the other issues we’re working on are really about the mobile platform.”
In addition to working with Google and Microsoft, Dolan also said Microsoft is looking to the open source community for support.
“As we work on this we want to make it as easy as possible for people to use vba and we’ll be doing our best to make that as easy for as many people as possible to use,” he said.


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Spain-headquartered Planasa has developed what it describes as a pioneering hanging tip nursery in Morocco, bringing forward the harvest time while also boosting safety and adaptability to any new-generation plant.
The berry-focused entity, which also has operations in breeding and fruit production, has been developing new projects for years with the aim of strengthening its presence in Europe.
On this occasion, this hanging tip nursery will allow the company to serve the market with greater assurance, it said.
“This nursery is innovative in the sector as it has been conceived exclusively and precociously for tip production. It is also excellent quality and creates very healthy plants, which are permanently controlled”, said Hans Obers, Planasa CEO for Northern Europe.
The location of the nursery in Morocco is key to achieving this desired earliness and to ensure the health and quality of the tips, given that the climate in the area avoids phytophthora, a very harmful fungus.
“The dryness of the surroundings guarantees a healthy nursery and high-quality tips,” Obers said.
The company has been made a plethora of acquisitions over the last few years as it undergoes major global expansion, most recently buying a major California strawberry nursery, NorCal.
The acquisition adds to Planasa’s California footprint in the strawberry industry, having established its own nursery in 2011 which company president Alexandre Pierron-Darbonne said was the third-largest in the state.
Another development has been the establishment of a new nursery subsidiary in the Netherlands, which was created this year in a bid to expand further into the northern European market.
The subsidiary adds to Planasa’s operations in Spain, France, Germany, Poland, Morocco, Chile, Mexico and the U.S.


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The Portland glass factory that has been at the center of an environmental debate has reduced its heavy metals emissions by 98% compared to this time last year. According to the Oregon Health Authority, the filtration system put in place by Bullseye Glass is working well, and they’ve removed two of the four monitoring systems they installed following the revelation that the glass factory was emitting high concentrations of toxic heavy metals.
Bullseye Glass has installed 12 filters and will install an additional six in the coming months. The filters capture emissions of heavy metals like lead, cadmium, chromium and arsenic, which had been released untreated into the air around the factory.
Oregon state environmental officials first became aware of the toxic emissions when they sampled mosses from trees growing near the factory. The discovery, which was repeated around other local glass factories, touched off a national debate about the safety of small glass factories.
Oregon’s findings also spurred the US Environmental Protection Agency to begin monitoring air quality around other glass furnaces nationwide. Small furnaces have been exempt from filtration requirements that are applied to larger producers. The discovery of high concentrations of toxic metals has resulted in much stricter filtration requirements.
The debate has also produced casualties. Uroboros Glass, another local Portland glass manufacturer, announced last month that it would permanently close its doors because it could not afford to install the required filtration systems.
Bullseye is also working to tweak its filtration system to capture selenium emissions, which tests have shown are still elevated around the factory. Selenium is necessary for good health and occurs naturally in the ground. It does not pose the same dangers that the factory’s other emissions, but regulators want to see selenium levels around the factory reduced. Selenium is safe in small amounts, but excess selenium intake can result in selenium toxicity, the symptoms of which can persist for months.
Glassprimer™ glass paint is a specialized glass coating that bonds permanently to glass surfaces. GlassPrimer also makes a glass surface molecular activator that is designed to work with UV-inkjet glass printing processes. For more information about Glassprimer™ glass paint, please visit the rest of our site. If you’d like to purchase Glassprimer™ glass paint, please visit our online store.
Photo Credit: America’s Power, via Flickr.com


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Facebook, Apple, Google and Amazon have established themselves as monopolies across a multitude of industries, from search and smartphones, to social media and ecommerce. Their dominance and global influence has led many in the media to label this group as the “Four Horseman”, an ominous biblical reference to the Four Horseman that bring the World to its end through an apocalypse.
However, like all monopolies, these companies are not immune to the ‘innovator’s dilemma’, a phenomena that occurs when leading organizations lose their market leadership, or even fail, as a result of new, unexpected competitors rising and taking over the market.
The “four horsemen” have been known to tackle the innovator’s dilemma through aggressive acquisitions. Examples include Facebook buying Instagram for $1 billion and WhatsApp for $19 billion, and Google buying Youtube for $1 billion.
With each new deal, talented and ambitious founders traded in their independence and control for life changing sums of money, forever eliminating the possibility of what could have been had they decided to take on the market leaders.
Blockchain technology has created an entirely new emerging market, where a handful of brilliant founders are pioneering a decentralized revolution using technology that promises to be more secure, efficient and fair for everyone. It doesn’t take a genius to guess where the Four Horsemen are secretly looking to infiltrate next, but unlike the sweep of accusations that occurred over the past 10 years, something tells me that today’s new kids on the block are less inclined to “sell out” to the man.
Last week, rumors were circulating that Facebook was looking to acquire Coinbase, and a few months prior, Ethereum founder Vitalik Buterin revealed that he was pouched by Google to come and work for them. As expected, he humorously put the decision up to a vote on Twitter.
For the founders of successful blockchain projects, there’s an inherent recognition that what they’re building is more than just another cool app, but an orchestrated social experiment powered by decentralized technology.
A system like the Ethereum blockchain requires rules of governance, a community of developers numbering in the thousands, and highly complex consensus mechanisms that must find a delicate balance between security, privacy and speed.
As if that wasn’t difficult enough, Founders like Brian Armstrong, Changpeng Zhao and Vitalik Buterin are faced with the same level of scrutiny that decade-old publicly traded companies’ experience, despite running what are still technically ‘startups’.
The challenges are immense, yet we can already begin to see glimpses of the long-term rewards that await the founders who operate these blockchain companies: billions of dollars in wealth generated, and a solidified status as industry pioneers. It’s safe to say this is more than what today’s tech giants can offer.
Facebook, Amazon, Apple and Google have created a reality in which technology is present in every aspect of our lives, which unfortunately comes at a price of lost privacy, and restrictions to autonomy and free speech. The defending argument has always been that these are private companies that can do as they please, and if you don’t wish to compromise your privacy and autonomy, simply don’t use them.
Decentralization is the primary value
Fortunately, with the rise of cryptocurrencies and blockchain platforms, there truly is a better alternative, and right now, nothing could be more dangerous than the idea of regaining our online privacy and autonomy through the blockchain, only to have it ‘bought back’ by the centralized corporations who stole it in the first place.
Decentralization is the primary value proposition that was sold to us by a handful of successful founders who millions of people now look to for a way out of the corrupt, censorship filled corporate structures imposed by the Four Horseman.
To turn around and cash out now would not only destroy the authenticity of these founders, but also the prospects of a truly decentralized, censorship resistant future.
The post Why (Successful) Crypto Founders will never sell out to Google or Facebook? appeared first on CryptoPotato.
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Pepsi‘s bid to buy out its Minneapolis-based bottler is flat, says the shareholder committee assigned to review the offer.
PepsiAmericas, the world’s second-largest Pepsi distributor, said today Pepsi’s offer is “not acceptable” and “does not reflect the value of PepsiAmericas’ strengths and stand-alone strategies.”
The company is holding its annual shareholder meeting today. Pepsi owns 40 percent of the company and wants to buy the rest of it, along with the New York-based Pepsi Bottling Group.
On Monday, Pepsi Bottling Group also rejected Pepsi’s offer, calling it “grossly inadequate.”


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Passers-by stepped into a single-file line where the sidewalk narrows on Bedford Avenue and briskly walked past the construction fence in front of Goorin Bros. Hat Shop last weekend.
The sidewalk is so thin that the staff has not been able to set up the shop’s advertisement board since crews began revamping entrances to the Bedford Avenue L train station this November, according to its manager, Shanice Brown. Even when passers-by notice the hat purveyor, the construction din often drives them away, Brown said.
“It’s just been really frustrating, but we’re making the best of it,” Brown said. “We’re just trying to really tighten up our community base before it shuts down so we just feel stronger, because it’s going to affect everybody.”
The hat shop is one of a handful of businesses in Williamsburg concerned about the L train shutdown driving down sales. The MTA plans to suspend L train service between Brooklyn and Manhattan for 15 months, beginning in April 2019, so crews can repair the Canarsie Tunnel, which superstorm Sandy damaged in 2012.
Although L trains will still run between Rockaway Parkway and Bedford Avenue, many retailers and restaurateurs are bracing for a plunge in patrons. Several say they will feel the loss of tourists, who tend to ride the L in from Manhattan, and in some cases account for half of establishments’ customers.
A few entrepreneurs worry their local clientele will relocate to parts of Brooklyn served by other train lines — or revise their commute in a way that makes stopping by inconvenient. Some reported already swallowing more than 10 percent slumps in sales because their entrances have been blocked as crews revamp entrances to the Bedford Avenue station.
Construction obstacles cut into cash
Since that work got underway in November, sales at Goorin Bros. had fallen at least 465 transactions behind where they were in 2017, Brown said earlier this year. She estimated the 181 Bedford Ave. store was down $35,000 as of May.
Half a block away, Baglesmith’s business had tapered off by 35 to 40 percent since construction started, its owner, Paul Furtaw, said earlier this year. Furtaw said the dip was also due to several of his longtime costumers deciding to move out of the neighborhood.
Physical barriers from the construction also helped whittle away 10 to 15 percent of Northside Pharmacy’s business at 559 Driggs Ave., according to its owner, Halina Jankowski.
“I have to say I’m getting very nervous,” Jankowski said, adding that since many customers will no longer use the Bedford Avenue station, it may no longer be easy for them to fill prescriptions with her. “Convenience is the No. 1 item.”
Bracing for a break in tourist traffic
Fellow business owners harbor similar fears. About two-thirds of enterprises indicated they expected to lose up to half of their business if the MTA had shut down the L train for 18 months, as was initially proposed, according to a 2016 survey conducted by the North Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce.
One retailer, Erika Vala, said she was considering moving her Shoe Market shop to a location near other train lines for the 15-month closure. About half of the 160 N. Sixth St. store’s customers are tourists and Vala said she does not expect them to keep streaming in from Manhattan when the L train is down.
Brooklyn Brewery co-founder Steve Hindy shared her concerns, noting that weekend L train shutdowns have previously cut down the 79 N. 11th St. business’ revenue by about a quarter. To compensate for an anticipated decrease in foreign tourists — who currently account for about 50 percent of the brewery’s business — Hindy plans to extend weekday hours.
Liquor distributors reported that orders from local businesses fell anywhere from 10 to 40 percent in 2015 when the subway was shut down for five weekends, according to Scott Davis, who owns Teddy’s Bar and Grill at 96 Berry St.
Davis said tourists amount to about 20 percent of the customers at Teddy’s, which is marketed as the oldest continually-operated bar in the borough. Although he expects to welcome fewer of that demographic, Davis believes that drop-off may be cushioned by a bump — perhaps 10 percent — in local patrons who spend more time in the neighborhood.
“There’s no reason to assume it won’t impact here — the magnitude is the question,” Davis said. “Anybody that opened in the last two years — I think it’s going to kill a lot of them. They came in at the highest rents. And usually the first year, year-and-a-half, you don’t make any money; you’re just trying to pay startup costs.”
MTA spokesman Shams Tarek said the authority has worked with businesses to display their signs on construction barriers and taken other steps to assist Williamsburg retailers.
“We’re working hard to address the needs and concerns of our neighbors along the L line and are in the midst of a concentrated effort to develop creative and effective ways to help local businesses,” Tarek said in a statement. “We’ve held regular meetings with the L Train Coalition, which includes local businesses, as well as dozens of public meetings where we received input, and will be moving ideas ahead with stakeholders in the coming weeks.”
Retail real estate reacts
Business challenges have contributed to a roughly 10 to 15 percent curtailment in retail rents in Williamsburg since the L train shutdown was announced, according to Michael Salvatico, vice president at Marcus & Millichap, a commercial real estate firm.
Salvatico said retail rents may drop another 10 to 15 percent, foreshadowing a spurt in empty storefronts. Owners who recently purchased their buildings may not be able to convince lenders to let them slice rent enough to lure in tenants, Salvatico said. For them, leaving the space vacant for two years until L train service is fully restored may make more sense than inking the traditional 10-year lease when rent rates are depressed, according to Salvatico.
“The issue will be the guys who recently bought,” Salvatico said. “You’re going to see that those buildings stay vacant because the banks won’t let them lease the property out at $150 per square foot when they projected out $300 or better. I do think that vacancy will probably hold.”
Employee commutes pose problems
Even when customers continue coming, businesses on both sides of the East River are worried about keeping employees during the shutdown.
About 75 percent of personnel at Williamsburg businesses commute on the L, according to the North Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce’s survey. At Teddy’s, just three of the bar’s 32 employees live within a mile of the business, Davis said. Many live in Queens or the Bronx and Harlem and transfer to the L at Union Square, he said.
“That’s the more challenging one because I can find strategic ways to get customers here. I can’t make my line cook get on the subway and take a different line unless I pay him higher. And then you’re like, well, it’d be better to knock 10 hours a week off my operating time,” Davis said. “That’s probably my biggest worry.”
Julie Horowitz, owner of Duck’s Eatery in the East Village, said that half of her dining room staff commutes by L train.
Relocating was never a question for Logan Mikhly, who lives in Williamsburg and founded a dog-friendly cafe called Boris & Horton in the East Village.
“It’s just not possible to stay in Williamsburg with the transportation options,” said Mikhly, who plans to move to lower Manhattan. “I’d like to get a jump on it before there’s a mass exodus.”


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New partnership with Flexitricity will see 4MW energy scheme net extra cash by responding to fluctuating demand patterns on the national grid
A 4MW district energy scheme in Gateshead, County Durham, has signed a deal with demand response firm Flexitricity to allow its power to be dialled up or down in response to peaks and troughs in national...
NLGPS joins Make My Money Matter pledge to align its £46bn investment portfolio with Paris Agreement's 1.5C goal
Our Global Investor Study 2020 reveals investor and consumer views on company responsibility for tackling climate change, writes Schroders' Vicki Owen
Beauty arm of US consumer goods giant estimates that new refillable product line will eliminate need for roughly 300 million virgin plastic shampoo bottles
VIDEO: In our final Glimpses report looking at potential net zero gamechangers, BusinessGreen looks at the potential for hydrogen use in energy, transport and home heating


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WASHINGTON — Emboldened by rapid growth in e-commerce shipping, the cash-strapped U.S. Postal Service is moving aggressively this holiday season to start a premium service for the Internet shopper seeking the instant gratification of a store purchase: same-day package delivery.
Teaming up with major retailers, the post office will begin the expedited service in San Francisco on Dec. 12 at a price similar to its competitors. If things run smoothly, the program will quickly expand next year to other big cities such as Boston, Chicago and New York. It follows similar efforts by eBay, Amazon.com, and most recently Wal-Mart, which charges a $10 flat rate for same-day delivery.
The delivery program, called Metro Post, seeks to build on the post office's double-digit growth in package volume to help offset steady declines in first-class and standard mail. Operating as a limited experiment for the next year, it is projected to generate between $10 million and $50 million in new revenue from deliveries in San Francisco alone, according to postal regulatory filings, or up to $500 million, if expanded to 10 cities.
The projected $500 million in potential revenue, even if fully realized, would represent just fraction of the record $15.9 billion annual loss that the Postal Service reported last week.
Under the plan, the Postal Service is working out agreements with at least eight and as many as 10 national retail chains for same-day delivery. The mail agency says nondisclosure agreements don't allow it to reveal the companies. But given the somewhat limited pool of large-scale retailers — they must have a physical presence in 10 or more big U.S. cities to be a postal partner — the list is expected to include department stores, sellers of general merchandise, clothiers, even perhaps a major e-commerce company or two.
This holiday season, the post office expects a 20 percent jump in its package volume, higher than its shipping rivals.


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Recently model Sookie Waterhouse arrived from London to Los Angeles and demonstrated yet another example of British street-style.
22-year-old girlfriend (rumored to have the bride) Actor Bradley Cooper wore a short journey in sweater dress with print in the style of pop art: the image of the kissing couple has been the subject of jokes and allusions to the Western press. Briton completed the image of brown shoes flat shoes and sunglasses aviator Taylor Morris. Sookie hair loose, and makeup minimized.
According to eyewitnesses, the airport Waterhouse long time for someone waited and listened to music constantly on his cell phone rang. As a result, the girl arrived a taxi.
Recall recently in the media reported that the model is secretly engaged to Bradley Cooper. Couple meets more than a year. Moreover, Sookie is planning to move to permanent residence from London to Los Angeles - the mansion favorite.
Home Celebrity Street Style Celebrity Style Fashion paparazzi Sookie Waterhouse Celebrity Street Style: Sookie Waterhouse in Los Angeles


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Earlier this year, Verizon introduced two new unlimited plans: Go Unlimited with 480p video streaming and Beyond Unlimited with 720p video streaming. Those plans may have been disappointing for folks that like to watch high-quality video on the go, but now Verizon is launching a new add-on aimed at those customers.
Verizon will offer a plan add-on that’ll give you 4K video streaming starting November 3rd. This add-on will cost $10 per month.
While 720p video streaming may be fine for a lot of people, there are some people who want to stream the highest quality video that they can get. There are phones on the market with screens that have a resolution of 2560x1440 or higher, and owners of those devices may want to take full advantage of their display. Some folks may be disappointed that they have to pay $10 every month to stream original quality video on their phones, but at least that option will be available to them.
Are you going to get Verizon’s high-quality video streaming add-on?


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E-mart is launching a major generational shift. E-mart, which suffered its first-ever loss in the last quarter, is believed to have started to make a breakthrough through a personnel reshuffle card.
According to distribution industry sources on Oct. 18, E-mart is expected to replace CEO Lee Gap-su, 62, and 11 others, including vice president and executive vice president.
This is a large-scale personnel change of 11 out of 40 registered executives as of the end of June. E-mart had been making regular appointments from late November to early December every year, but this year it moved up the timing.
The replacement of CEO Lee is the centerpiece of the personnel reshuffle. The CEO led E-mart for six years since becoming the head of its sales division in 2014. After joining Shinsegae in 1982, he moved to E-mart in 1999 and served in major posts such as sales, goods and customer service.
He has led E-mart with the trust of Vice Chairman Chung Yong-jin, but has recently taken responsibility for the falling performance of large discount stores as the shopping trend has moved fast to online.
Upon being notified of his resignation, the CEO reportedly exchanged greetings with E-mart executives. Shinsegae Group acknowledges that Lee's departure has been decided, but believes that it should wait and see the replacement of additional executives as it is still before regular personnel appointments.
Meanwhile, E-mart's operating profit fell to 489.3 billion won last year, and it recorded 99.7 billion won as of the first half of this year. It marked the first quarterly loss in the past second quarter.


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Venezuelan economy mirrors a stagnant manufacturing area
Back in 1998, a year prior to Hugo Chavez's rise to power, the industrial sector represented 17.3% of the country's GDP. Now, it simply stands at 13.9%
Official data shows that application of the so-called "21st Century Socialism" over the past three five-year terms has reaped negative effects on the manufacturing area. The industry's leverage on the economy has slipped.
According to statistics published by the Central Bank of Venezuela, manufacturing represented only 13.9% of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP). This result confirms the deindustrialization process taking place in recent years on the basis that, in 1998, a year prior to Hugo Chavez's rise to power, the industrial sector accounted for 17.3% of the GDP.
Throughout 2012, manufacturing grew a mere 1.8%, an outcome inferior to that of trade, telecommunications or financial institutions areas generating significantly less jobs than the industrial sector.
The Central Bank's analysis reveals an even more serious condition: nine of the 16 manufacturing sub-sectors surveyed evidence lower production levels than in 1997.
Textile products, clothing, leather tanning and dressing, metal products, machinery and electric appliances, as well as vehicles, have been some of the hardest-hit areas in recent years.
Non-petroleum exports also shed light on plummeting production levels. In 2012, this indicator amounted to USD 3.711 billion, which is 31.79% less than in 1998. A detailed look also reveals that, as of the end of last year, non-petroleum exports by the private sector amounted to only USD 1.575 billion.
The Venezuelan Confederation of Industries (Conindustria) has long warned that, without a shift in economic policy, industry results would not change. Ongoing price controls, red tape in allocating foreign currency promptly, shortage of raw materials and supplies, labor conflicts and an uncertain legal environment are just some of the obstacles industry members emphasize when explaining stagnant production levels.
The latest sector-specific survey, corresponding to the last quarter of 2012, showed that 85% of the industries polled pointed at "political uncertainty" as the biggest hurdle for increasing production. Shortages in currency and lack of raw materials, noted by 85% and 80% of those surveyed, were the two main barriers cited.
Even within the central bank itself, concerns were raised and recently passed upon interim President Nicolas Maduro about those very same issues, in light of a spike in shortages and inflation. Therefore, the Central Bank issued an official recommendation to Maduro suggesting assessment of "the market impact of applying suggested retail prices to all food products," as proposed by certain ministers.
Recently, the former minister of Basic Industries and Mining, Victor Alvarez, expressed the need to develop "socialist industrialization" and summarized the events of recent years.
"The lesson was clear: to wage on the downfall of the capitalist economy without having previously created the new socialist economy. It was the perfect shortcut leading us to a vicious circle of crumbling production, shortages, stockpiling, speculation, inflation, unemployment and growing social distress."
The first quarter of 2013 having come to an end, forecasts remain unfavorable. In fact, economic indicators point at deceleration in key areas such as the food industry, vehicle assembly and manufacturing of spare parts.
The food industry is a case in point. After six quarters of negative results, it rebounded in the fourth quarter of 2012 but, in the first few months of 2013, the industrial sector has reported issues in obtaining raw materials, a downturn in prices giving rise to loss in manufacturing certain products and currency shortages for importing supplies.
The sector's dismal performance has forced the government to increase on a yearly basis the resources used for imports of food products, thus benefiting foreign companies.
In addition, the Venezuelan Automotive Chamber (Cavenez) announced that in the first quarter of this year the number of cars assembled fell 51% as a result of delays in delivery of currency by official entities and in approval of permits to import assembling materials.
The Chamber of Venezuelan Manufactures of Automotive Products (Favenpa) has denounced that sector companies are working at 50% of their capacity as a result of delays in allocation and payment of currency by authorities.
"The outlook is grim, and it is likely that the impact of the measures adopted so far this year, which further constrain access to currency and the possibility of price adjustments, has not been fully taken into account," alerted Conindustria last week.
Translated by Félix Rojas Alva
Hundreds of thousands of demonstrators took to the streets of Brazil on March 13 to demand the ouster of embattled President Dilma Rousseff, carrying banners expressing anger at bribery scandals and economic woes. A banner read "We don't want a new Venezuela in Brazil."


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Ten years after it opened, South of Market’s Bar Agricole is moving. Owner Thad Vogler hopes the new and improved space will allow him to realize the goal he’s always had for his James Beard Award-winning cocktail bar: “to establish and own the category of single-origin spirits,” he says.
The current Bar Agricole (355 11th St.) will shut down on April 15; Vogler expects to unveil the new digs, nearby at a luxury residential complex at 1550 Mission St., in late 2020. Agricole may be as famous for its design as for its drinks; winning the Outstanding Design Award in the James Beard Awards in 2011. (It also won Outstanding Bar Program in 2019, after being nominated eight times.) The new spot “will look different,” Vogler says, “but still be design-forward.” Architecture and design firm Snøhetta will outfit the 5,000-square-foot space.
Better foot traffic and a better kitchen layout are two advantages at 1550 Mission St. There will still be a full food menu, but Vogler — who also owns the S.F. bars Trou Normand, Obispo and Nommo — wants to turn the attention a little bit less toward the kitchen and more toward the bar. “I want to regroup and focus on what I’m best at, which is single-origin spirits,” he says.
Single-origin spirits, in Vogler’s view, are those that come from a specific place — not blended across disparate regions — and taste like it. They’re products that have what Vogler has called a sense of regionalism, the bartending philosophy he expresses in his 2017 book “By the Smoke and the Smell.” Regionalism, to him, is about choosing spirits that have a sense of place, are not produced industrially and are made by the same people who grow what they distill. As he’s said before, “Making drinks should be like making salads.”
He’s never understood why restaurants take pride in having responsibly farmed wines and fair-trade coffee but then stock industrially sweetened spirits behind the bar. “That idea has taken off with wine, chocolate, coffee,” Vogler says. “Spirits still haven’t taken off in that niche. I want to work with that more.”
His bar’s names refer spirits that Vogler believes are capable of expressing regionalism. Bar Agricole is named for rhum agricole, a type of rum from the French Caribbean that’s distilled from fresh cane sugar rather than from molasses. Trou Normand is named for a traditional French palate cleanser: a shot of Calvados (apple brandy) with a little scoop of sorbet.
Along with the new Bar Agricole, Vogler will also open a spirits retail shop on the same block. It will be a chance to highlight some of the products that he imports, and he may even launch a proprietary spirits label through some of his import connections.
Meanwhile, there are major changes underway at Obispo, Vogler’s rum bar in the Mission that opened in late 2018. He has temporarily closed it to reconfigure the concept and expects to reopen it later in the spring.
Why? Vogler’s vision for Obispo was an authentic, emphatically non-tiki rum bar — one that would serve single-origin rums and affordable, simple cocktails alongside the sort of food that one might find in rum-producing places like Martinique. But he admits that the concept, coming from him, “a 6’8” Northern European guy telling people how to make food from Martinique,” felt a little strained, especially given its location in the Calle 24 Latino Cultural District.
He’s hired a new executive chef, and the food will be less explicitly designed to fit within a concept. It will be generally “San Francisco ingredient-driven cuisine,” Vogler says.
The drink program will remain the same. “We’re still gonna sell a lot of rum,” he continues, “but just make it less Epcot center.”
Esther Mobley is The San Francisco Chronicle’s wine critic. Email: email@example.com Twitter: @Esther_mobley Instagram: @esthermob


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Nancy Whiteman, co-founder and CEO of Colorado-based cannabis edibles company Wana Brands, was the talk of MJBizCon in Las Vegas in October.
Attendees were abuzz about a deal in which Canadian cannabis producer Canopy Growth agreed to pay $297.5 million in cash upfront for the option to purchase Wana.
The actual acquisition is conditional on the U.S. legalizing cannabis at the federal level.
The transaction raised some questions, however, including whether Wana had to wait to be paid the $297.5 million and what exactly was meant by federal legalization.
Whiteman said the Canopy deal made the most sense after studying different options for an exit strategy, including going public, teaming with a special purpose acquisition company (SPAC) for an initial public offering or courting private equity.
“This was a good fit to become part of something that was already established, that had deep resources, that shared our values,” Whiteman said.
“A partner that would help us grow – the kind of deal that I was looking for.”
MJBizDaily spoke with Whiteman about how the proposed acquisition came about, what she wanted in a partner and what this all means for the company in the near term.
What made you want to pull the trigger on this deal?
If you’re an independent brand, like Wana, you then have to also look at how is the market going to shift (with federal legalization).
One of my working assumptions is that distribution is going to become a lot more important. Dispensaries will not be the only game in town.
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There will be other ways to purchase THC products in the future.
So you start thinking about what kind of partner can bring distribution opportunities to the table.
And what kind of partner seems to be the type of organization that is investing in the industry for the long run who has the resources to really hang in there.
I was looking for a partner who shared that dual vision of the industry: that it could be both an effective alcohol replacement and recreational option, and it could be a driver for good on the health and wellness side.
We found from our discussions with Canopy that we were very aligned on that front. We also felt that Canopy had a certain level of business maturity.
Then with the investment from (alcohol giant) Constellation Brands, they also bring that financial resource.
And through Constellation they bring a partner who is very skilled at building premium brands, who has a lot of nontraditional cannabis distribution in their ecosystem.
Then we looked at who looks like they’re doing some interesting things, long term, to win in the United States.
So they have a number of interesting and strong brands, the Martha Stewart CBD brand; they have a number of brands that were of interest.
It really just seems like a very good fit for us.
Canopy said the proposed acquisition is conditioned on “federal permissibility of THC in the U.S.” What does that exactly mean? Is that as soon as there’s a vote or do regulations have to be in place?
I’m going to have to leave that to greater legal minds than mine.
I don’t know exactly what that they will need in terms of what needs to be in place regulatorily or a vote or whatever to feel comfortable exercising the option.
Why structure the deal on that conditionality? Why not just sell right now?
The Nasdaq does not currently allow plant-touching companies in the United States. If (Canopy) directly owned Wana, they would be owning a plant-touching company.
And so that’s what prevents it.
Have you or Wana already received the upfront $297.5 million cash payment from Canopy? And if you have, do you have plans for it right now? Are you going to reinvest back into the business?
The simplest way to explain that is that Canopy really cannot make a direct or indirect investment into Wana.
And if I were to take the money and reinvest it into Wana, it would be actually an indirect investment on Canopy’s part into Wana.
So, no, I am precluded from reinvesting that money back into Wana.
But you did receive the cash payment when the deal was struck?
So what’s next now after this for you? Is it business as usual for a while?
It is mostly business as usual. I’m remaining as the CEO. I remain the owner of the company, because this was an option to acquire, not an acquisition.
So we’re executing on our two major strategies, which we were executing on a month ago and we’re going to be executing on for a long period of time, which is to get to the best markets quickly and to focus on innovation and focus on R&D and next-generation products.
It doesn’t sound like you’re just going to be sitting on a beach with an umbrella in your drink.
No, no rest for the weary.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Bart Schaneman can be reached at email@example.com.